Taiwanese Street Food-Themed Cocktails at the M.O. Bar
It’s no secret that we’re suckers for good cocktails, and the more interesting the better. We’ve posted about some awesome drinks before, but few have excited us as much as the Taiwanese street food-inspired cocktail menu at the M.O. Bar in the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei — it’s creative and unique, and best of all, is quintessentially Taiwanese. We weren’t sure what to expect from a hotel bar since we tend to prefer pubs and speakeasies but were very pleasantly surprised by how much we ended up enjoying our experience.
The M.O. Bar is polished and chic, yet surprisingly cosy. Sit at the bar if you want to be impressed at how professionally the mixologists craft your drinks — it’s really interesting to hear them talk you through their favourites on the menu, and if the bar isn’t busy they will be more than happy to oblige your curiosity. There are also some plush couches and armchairs, and some intimate booths that would be perfect for a hot date. They also have two private rooms that can be booked for events.
One of the M.O. Bar’s biggest selling points (in our opinion) is their killer Bubble & Fizz happy hour promotion. From 5-8pm every day, they offer freeflow cocktails and wine from their happy hour menu for $600 for an hour, or $1000 for two. A 10% service fee will be added at the end, and you should note than on Fridays and Saturdays there is a minimum charge of $800 + 10% service charge that applies after 9pm. The happy hour menu isn’t as comprehensive as their normal menu, but still has twelve delicious-sounding cocktails, which are mostly martinis or prosecco-based. They’re somewhat flexible on the time, so as long as you arrive before happy hour finishes at 8pm, you can take advantage of their offer. Learning about this has been a game-changer for us — $1000 is totally reasonable for two hours of free-flow quality drinks in a gorgeous cocktail bar. There are cheaper all-you-can-drink deals in Taipei (mostly in clubs or in the Red House area of Ximen), but in our experience, these tend to use poor quality spirits that you’re almost guaranteed to wake up hungover from. Call us old and boring, but we’d prefer to spend a little more for a better time. We’ll update this post to include our happy hour experience as soon as we try it out.
It was hard to choose which cocktails to try first from the M.O. Bar’s massive menu, but since we’d been obsessed with the idea of Taiwanese street food-inspired cocktails ever since we first heard of them, we narrowed it down to the Salty Soy Milk (left, $450) and the Sesame Peanut Rice Dumplings (right, $450). The moment we tried them, we knew we’d come to the right place.
The Salty Soy Milk is made with gin, rice vinegar, Tabasco, and a home-made foam consisting of soy milk, tofu, and fermented tofu. Inspired by the traditional breakfast of salty soy milk, it even comes garnished with dried spring onion powder and a piece of youtiao, a fried breadstick. This cocktail did not exactly sound appetizing at first, but we were driven by curiosity to try it, and we’re glad we did — it was a complex, creamy drink with the perfect hint of spice, delicious despite the ambitious ingredient list. You’d never think rice vinegar and fermented tofu would combine to make anything remotely drinkable, but we actually loved it. It was savoury in a Bloody Mary-esque way, distinctively Taiwanese, and probably a little more suited to those with a preference for bold flavours.
We loved the Sesame Peanut Rice Dumplings just as much, although for a different reason. This was a sweet and nutty, just like the tangyuan (glutinous rice balls that often come stuffed with sesame or peanut filling) that it’s inspired by. Made with peanut-butter infused rum, pandan syrup and sesame soy milk, it was rich yet not at all heavy. It was easier to drink than the Salty Soy Milk, but also a little less complex and daring, and we found ourselves switching between them every few sips. In the end, we couldn’t decide on a favourite.
Another drink we tried was the Candied Fruits ($450), inspired by the candied fruit at the night market. It’s made with gin, black tomato gin, tomato water, Antica Formula, cranberry juice, lime juice, and a malta syrup made by Kavalan. We were somewhat apprehensive about trying it — honestly, we’re not massive fans of tomato-based drinks like Bloody Mary’s — but any hesitations we had went right out the window after the first sip. It was a light, slightly sweet cocktail with a very mild tomato taste that somehow captured the flavour perfectly. It was really good.
Our next round of cocktails consisted of the Mandarin Fizz (left, $450) and the Mandarin Garden (right, $450), and once again, we couldn’t decide which one we loved more. The Mandarin Fizz, made with oolong tea-infused vodka, peach puree, lemon juice, orange blossom water and soda water was light and refreshing. We loved how light but distinct the oolong tea flavour was, and it paired beautifully with the peach puree and orange blossom to make a fresh, feminine drink.
The Mandarin Garden was also wonderful, and though it contained the exact same amount of alcohol as the Mandarin Fizz, it felt like it packed more of a punch. Made with oolong tea-infused vodka, dry vermouth, lychee puree, strawberry puree, egg white, lime juice and rose water, this was playful and fun. The oolong tea-infused vodka and vermouth were balanced beautifully by the slight creaminess of the egg white and the sweetness of the fruit puree, and the rose water left an ever-so-slightly floral aftertaste that we loved.
We’d thought the Salty Soy Milk would be the most creative cocktail of the night, but after chatting to the mixologist while sitting at the bar, he suggested something even wilder: the Heart of Green, made with bourbon, fresh guava juice, fresh lemon juice, Suze, and betel nut syrup. Yes, you read that right. Betel nut. This cocktail isn’t actually on the menu yet but may become a permanent fixture if it’s deemed popular enough. We really hope it does, because it was just as delicious as it was controversial and unique: the hint of bitterness from the betel nut was really special when blended with the fresh guava and lemon juice, with the bourbon proving to be a robust yet smooth base. We didn’t expect to fall in love with it as much as we did, and we’re hopeful that it’ll become one of their signature cocktails one day. For now, you may still be able to order this if the head mixologist is on duty!
If you’re in the mood to go all-out and make a serious evening of it, the M.O. Bar also offers some nice bar food. We went for the jalapeno poppers ($400) first. These were satisfyingly crispy and cheesy, with the jalapeno adding a little sizzle.
We hadn’t planned on ordering anything big, but after seeing the Australian wagyu beef burger on the menu ($750), we couldn’t resist. This burger was great. A wagyu beef patty was served on a soft, fresh bun with onion chutney, tomato, bacon, fried egg, and gherkins, with a choice of blue, gruyere, or cheddar cheese. We went for blue cheese, which added a nice, creamy tang. This was not an easy burger to eat — we tried to be classy as we ate it, but quickly gave up hope — so we wouldn’t recommend ordering it while on a date unless you’re feeling particularly confident in yourselves. If you are, go for it. We wish you nothing but luck.
Another nice bar snack was the Taiwanese deep-fried chicken ($400), an elevated version of the fried chicken we all know and love. This was crispy and satisfying, and the bite-sized portions made it the perfect finger food.
Staying on the Taiwanese theme, we also Taiwanese traditional poached meat platter ($400), another night market favourite. It contained beef shank, pork ear, pork knuckle, peanut, and dried bean curd, and was actually really good, especially when paired with the chilli oil.
Last but definitely not least, we caved to temptation and ordered some truffle fries ($300). These were fantastic. Crispy and salty with a steady truffle taste and big shavings of fresh parmesan, we kept reaching for these long after we knew we were full. Whoops. If we were going to order any of the food items again, we’d be most tempted by this one — not only did it taste great, but it was easy to eat and classier than regular French fries.
Overall, we were seriously impressed by the M.O. Bar. The cocktails were among the very best we’ve had in Taipei, and certainly some of the most creative. We’d expected it to be vastly less affordable than the other bars we frequent and were surprised to discover that it wasn’t. It’s not cheap, but neither are any of the other good cocktail bars in Taipei, and we prefer quality drinks to gimmicks any day.
Check out their regular menu down below:
And here is their happy hour menu:
What’s the vibe?
Elegant and upscale, but still intimate and cosy. Customers are mostly hotel guests, but locals come for the cocktails too.
Worth it?
Extremely, in our opinion. $350-$500 is what you should expect to pay for a good cocktail in Taipei, and these are some of the best. The intimate atmosphere was perfect for dates or quiet catch-ups, and their happy hour promotion sounds phenomenal.
Would you go back?
It’s a definite yes for us. We’ll be back as soon as we convince our friends to join us for their happy hour!
Last updated December 2019
| M.O. Bar |
| Hours: Mon-Thurs 5pm – 12:45am Fri & Sat 5pm – 1:45am Sun 5pm – 11:45pm |
| Phone: 02 2715 6698 |
| English Address: No. 158, DunHua N Rd, Songshan District, Taipei City |
| Chinese Address: 台北市松山區敦化北路158號 |
